Abstract P233: Plasma essential fatty acids and type 2 diabetes risk: the Hoorn Study

Background: A high consumption of the polyunsaturated fatty acids linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) instead of saturated fatty acids is known to reduce CHD risk, but data on the relation between LA and ALA intake and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) risk are limited and inconsistent. Plasma levels of LA and ALA provide a relatively accurate reflection of the intake over several weeks or months, because of the essential nature of these fatty acids. Objective: To investigate the association of the percentage of LA and ALA in plasma lipids with fasting plasma glucose (FPG), post-load glucose (PLG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) as markers of T2DM risk. Methods: The study population included 667 Dutch men and women, aged 50-75 years from the population-based Hoorn Study. Baseline data for the current study were collected between 2000 and 2001, with follow-up in 2008. Linear regression models were used in cross-sectional and prospective analyses. Results: In cross-sectional analyses, plasma LA (per %) was significantly and inversely associated with FPG ( B = -0.022 [-0.044, 0.000]) and PLG ( B = -0.096 [-0.155, -0.036]), but not with HbA1c ( B = 0.000 [-0.014, 0.014]), after adjustment for age, gender, total energy intake, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, physical activity, fiber, dietary saturated fat intake, alcohol intake and education level. In prospective analyses, plasma LA was not significantly associated with FPG, PLG or HbA1c after adjustments for baseline glucose. In addition, no significant associations were found between plasma ALA and markers of T2DM risk in cross-sectional or prospective analyses. Conclusion: Plasma LA, but not ALA, was inversely associated with fasting and post-load glucose levels in cross-sectional, but not in prospective analyses. Further studies are needed to elucidate the exact role of plasma LA and ALA levels and dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids in glucose metabolism.